Adjustable head gear

ABSTRACT

Adjustable headgear is disclosed which includes a first or occipital strap having an upper end and a lower end and is adapted to extend from the back of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head. A second strap having an upper end and a lower end is adapted to extend from the right side of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head. A third strap having an upper end and a lower end is adapted to extend from the left side of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head. A top adjustment piece has slits therein through which the upper ends of the straps pass so that the length of each strap from its lower end up to the adjustment piece can be adjusted by sliding the strap through the slits in the adjustment piece. Backstrap means has forward end portions connected to the lower ends of the second and third straps and extends around from the lower end of the second strap to the lower end of the third strap. The lower end of the first strap is connected to the strap means generally centrally of the latter.

United States Patent Irvin S. De Woskin St. Louis, Mo.

Aug. 15, 1969 Mar. 23, 1971 Orthobaud, Company, Inc. St. Louis, Mo.

Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee ADJUSTABLE I-IEAD GEAR. 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S.(*1 Int. Cl Field of Search 32/14 A6lc 7/00 312/14;

128/l64X 128/164X 128/164 l28/l64X 32114 3,203,099 8/1965 lnterlaudi ABSTRACT: Adjustable headgear is disclosed which includes a first or occipital strap having an upper end and a lower end and is adapted to extend from the back of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head. A second strap having an upper end and a lower end is adapted to extend from the right side of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head. A- third strap having an upper end and a lower end is adapted to extend from the left side of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head. A top adjustment piece has slits therein through which the upper ends of the straps pass so that the length of each strap from its lower end up to the adjustment piece can be adjusted by sliding the strap through the slits in the adjustment piece. Backstrap means has forward end portions connected to the lower ends of the second and third straps and extends around from the lower end of the second strap to the lower end of the third strap. The lower end of the first strap is connected to the strap means generally centrally of the latter.

ADJUSTABLE HEAD GEAR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to orthodontic appliances and more particularly to orthodontic headgear for use in connection with extra-oral traction procedures.

Various types of orthodontic headgear are known for use in connection with extra-oral traction procedures, for example with so-called arch bands to'apply traction for orthodontic purposes. The headgear may be classified according to its position on the head of the wearer: high-pull headgear which is frequently used to apply traction to a maxillary arch (upper teeth) band; low-pull headgear which is suitable for applying traction to either a maxillary or a mandibular arch (lower teeth) band, or combination headgear which may be referred to as lowand high-pull headgear Frequently the high-pull headgear is used with a chin cup to correct jaw movements and occlusions, particularly class three malocclussions, and also as an isometric face muscle exerciser to tone up physiognomies. The head gear in all cases must be fitted to the head of the wearer in order to assure proper alignment of the appliance and the proper application of force thereto. This is frequently done by simply cutting the ends of the device to the desired length and stapling them in position. Once this is done the device cannot be changed as the size of the users head changes. It is difficult to get the various pieces precisely cut and aligned for stapling. Altemately the fitter of orthodontic appliances may carry a variety of sizes of headgear which will only approximately fit thehead of any particular user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the instant invention to provide an adjustable headgear useful in extra-oral traction procedures which is adjustable in all dimensions. This advantageously eliminates the necessity of stocking various sizes of headgear. It is a further object of the instant invention to provide adjustable orthodontic headgear which without cutting may be adjusted to fit any size or shape head with a minimum of fitting time. The instant invention advantageously is adaptable to all types of headgear, such as low-pull, high-pull, intermediate-pull, and lowand high-pull It is a further object of the instant -in vention to provide adjustable orthodontic traction headgear which may be fittedto practically any type extra-oral traction device.

The instant invention relates to adjustable headgear which includes an occipital or first strap having an upper end and a lower end and adapted to extend from the back of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head. A second strap having an upper end and a lower end is adapted to extend from the right side of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head, also herein referred to as a right side strap. A third strap having an upper end and a lower end is adapted to extend from the left side of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head, also hereinafter referred to as a leftside strap. A top adjustment piece has slits therein through which the upper ends of the straps pass so that the length of each strap from its lower end up to the adjustment piece can be adjusted by sliding the strap through the slits in the adjustment piece and then anchoring it. Backstrap means has forward end portions connected to the lower ends of the second and third straps and extend around from the lower end of the second strap to the lower end of the third strap. The lower end of the first strap is connected to the strap means generally centrally of the latter. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I of the invention removed from a head;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view illustrating a combination highand low-pull headgear of this invention as it is worn on the head;

FIG. 4 is a back elevational view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a back elevational view toward the side of a lowpull headgear embodying this invention as it is worn on the head; and

FIG. 6 is a back elevational view toward the side of a variation of high-pull headgear embodying the instant invention.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, it may be seen that the high-pull headgear according to the instant invention comprises a first occipitaltstrap I having an upper end 3 and a lower end 5 adapted to extend from the back of the head (the occiput) of the wearer upward to the top area of the head. A second or right side strap 7 having an upper end 9 and a lower end I] extends from the right side of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head. A third or left-side strap 13, also having an upper end [5 and a lower end 17, extends from the left side of the head of the wearer upward to the top of the head. A top adjustment piece I9 has a first pair of slits 81 extending generally parallel to one another adjacent the left side thereof and a second pair of slits S2 extending generally parallel to one another and to the slits of the first pair adjacent the right side thereofT-he first pair defines a left-side loop 20L and the second pair defines a right side loop 20R of the material. A third pair of slits S3 crosswise of the top adjustment piece defines a crosswise loop 20C. The upper end portion of the left-side strap 13 extends across the adjustment piece from left to right through the left-side loop 201. and then through the right side loop 20R. and the upper end portion of the right side strap extends across the adjustment piece from right to left through the right side loop 20R and then through the left-side loop 20L. The upper end portion of the occipital strap l extends through the crosswise loop 20R between the left-side and right side loops. This enables adjustment of the length of each strap 1,7 and 13 from its lower end 5, ll, [7 up to the adjustment piece by sliding the straps through the loops.

Means such as staples 2! similar to those used in a conventional hand stapler fasten the straps l, 7 and I3 and the adjustment piece I9 together in the adjusted position.

Backstrap means shown as comprising a first backstrap 23 and a second backstrap 25 connect the lower ends 17 and I! of third strap 13 and second strap 7. As shown. forward end portion 29 of first backstrap 23 is connected to the lower end ll of right side strap 7 as by a rivet 3|. First backstrap 23 then extends back from right side strap 7 around to the back part of the head of the wearer. Similarly,'forward end portion 43 of second backstrap 25 is connected to the lower end l7 of leftside strap 13 as by rivet 35 and extends around to the back part of the head of the wearer. The free ends 37 and 39 of back straps 23 and 25 pass through a loop 27 formed by slits in the lower end 5 of occipital strap 1 so that the lower end of the first occipital strap 1 is connected to the strap means generally centrally thereof. The length of each back strap 23 or 25 around to the lower erid 5 of the first occipital strap I can be adjusted by sliding the backstrap through loop 27. Means such as staples 41 fasten the back straps 23 and 25 and occipital strap 1 together in the desired adjusted position.

The straps and adjustment piece are desirably made of a flexible plastic material such as vinyl plastic.

Attached to the lower ends 11 and 17 of second and third straps 7 and I3 at rivets 31 and 35 are closed books 43 which in turn are attached to stretchable webbings 45 which are adjustable in length by means of cinch-type clamps 46. The two webbings 45 extend to and are attached at their opposite ends to chin cup 47. Chin cup 47 is molded from a suitable flexible material such as by vacuum-forming'plastic.

Referring now to H08. 3 and 4, the use of the instant invention to provide orthodontic adjustable headgear for a different type of extra-oral traction arrangement may be seen. As shown in these FlGS., left-side strap 13, and so also right side strap 7, are riveted at their lower ends 17 and 11, respectively, to the yokes 49 and 51 of an orthodontic device of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,203,099 to Sebastiao lnterlandi. The first backstrap 23 and the second backstrap 25 have their forward end portions 29 and 33 riveted to the lower ends of yokes 51, 49, respectively. Thus the right side and left-side straps 7 and 13 are each attached to the backstrap means constituted by the two backstraps 23, 25 by the yokes 49, 51 of the orthodontic appliance.

Each yoke 49, 51 has a series of notches 53 in its posterior (rear) edge. Notches 53 constitute recesses for receiving one or more traction-applying elastic bands (rubberbands) 55. One end of each elastic band 55 is adapted to be looped around one or more tongue portions formed between neighboring notches 53 and drawn forwardly into the notches 53. The other end of each elastic band 55 is adapted to be connected to a face bow as indicated at 57 or 59. Each bow 57 is formed in the shape of a hook and is adapted to be attached to an arch band (not shown) for a maxillary arch (the upper teeth), for example. Traction is exerted on the arch band by the elastic band 55 acting through the face bow 57. A tubular sleeve 61 formed of plastic. for example, may be provided on the shank of each bow 57 to prevent irritation of the cheeks by bow 57. Bow 59 is adapted to be attached to the arch band in the same manner as bow 57. Traction is exerted on the arch band by the elastic band 55 acting on the outer end of bow 59.

FIG, illustrates the invention as applied to a low-pull-type headgear. In this embodiment it will be observed that the length of each backstrap 23, 25 is not adjustable. The backstraps 23, 25 are sewn to the lower end 5 of the first occipital strap 1. As shown, the forward end portion 33 of a second backstrap 25 is sewn to the lower end 17 of left-side strap 13. The switching of the straps together is done so that the stitches 63 attach the straps to neck pad 65. Neck pad 65 has loops 67 provided therein. Extending through the loops are the stretchable webbings 69 which are adjustable in length by means of cinch-type clamps 70 of an orthodontic appliance. The rearward end portions 71 of webbings 69 are each attached by means of closed hooks 73 to rivets 75 driven through the backstraps 23, 25 and neck pad 65. Face how 77 of an orthodontic appliance is attached to the forward end 79 of webbings 69 as by hooks 81.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the instant invention as applied to high-pull headgear. The construction of the adjustable headgear is similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Attached to the ends of the backstrap means, i.e., forward end portions 29 and 33 of a first backstrap 23 and second backstrap 25 adjacent the lower ends 11 and 17 of right side strap 7 and left-side strap 13 as by rivets 83, are tubular sleeves 85 constituting guides for face bows 87. Each face bow 87 is hooked to a rubberband 89 which in turn is attached to tubular sleeve 85 by a rivet 93. Tubular sleeve 85 also helps to prevent irritation of the cheeks of the wearer by face bow 87 of the orthodontic appliance.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes can be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

lclaim:

1. Adjustable headgear which comprises:

an occipital strap having an upper end and a lower end adapted to extend from the back of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head;

a right side strap having an upper end and a lower end adapted to extend from the right side of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head;

a left-side strap having an upper end and a lower end adapted to extend from the left side of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head;

a top adjustment piece formed ofllexible plastic material or the like and having a first pair of slits extending generally parallel to one another adjacent the left side thereof and a second pair of slits extending generally parallel to one another and to the slits of the first pair adjacent the right side thereof, the first pair defining a left-side loop and the second pair defining a right side loop of the material, and a third pair of slits extending crosswise of the top adjust ment piece defining a crosswise loop, the upper end portion of the left-side strap extending across said adjustment piece from left to right through the left-side loop and then through the right side loop, and the upper end portion of the right side strap extending across said adjustment piece from right to left through the right side loop and then through the left-side loop, the upper end portion of the occipital strap extending through said crosswise loop between the left-side and right side loops; and

backstrap means having forward end portions connected to the lower ends of the right side and left-side straps and extending around from the lower end of the right side strap to the lower end of the left-side strap, the lower end of the occipital strap being connected to the backstrap means generally centrally of the latter.

2. The headgear of claim 1 including means for fastening the straps and adjustment piece together in adjusted position.

3. The headgear ofclaim 2 wherein the fastening means is a staple.

4. The headgear of claim I wherein the backstrap means comprises a first backstrap extending back from the right side strap and a second backstrap extending back from the left-side strap, and the occipital strap has slits in its lower end defining a loop through which the free ends of the first and second backstraps pass so that the length of each backstrap around to the lower end of the occipital strap can be adjusted by sliding the backstrap through said slits in the lower end of the occipital strap.

5. The headgear of claim 4 including means for fastening the backstraps and occipital strap together in the desired position.

6. The headgear ofclaim 5 wherein the fastening means is a staple.

7. The headgear of claim I wherein the right side and leftside straps are each attached to the backstrap means by a yoke of an orthodontic appliance.

8. The headgear of claim 1 including means for attaching an orthodontic appliance to the lower ends of the right side and left-side straps.

9. The headgear of claim 1 including means for attaching an orthodontic appliance to the ends of the backstrap means adjacent the lower ends of the right side and left-side straps.

10. The headgear of claim I wherein the straps and adjustment piece are made of a flexible plastic material. 

1. Adjustable headgear which comprises: an occipital strap having an upper end and a lower end adapted to extend from the back of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head; a right side strap having an upper end and a lower end adapted to extend from the right side of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head; a left-side strap having an upper end and a lower end adapted to extend from the left side of the head of the wearer upward to the top area of the head; a top adjustment piece formed of flexible plastic material or the like and having a first pair of slits extending generally parallel to one another adjacent the left side thereof and a second pair of slits extending generally parallel to one another and to the slits of the first pair adjacent the right side thereof, the first pair defining a left-side loop and the second pair defining a right side loop of the material, and a third pair of slits extending crosswise of the top adjustment piece defining a crosswise loop, the upper end portion of the left-side strap extending across said adjustment piece from left to right through the left-side loop and then through the right side loop, and the upper end portion of the right side strap extending across said adjustment piece from right to left through the right side loop and then through the left-side loop, the upper end portion of the occipital strap extending through said crosswise loop between the left-side and right side loops; and backstrap means having forward end portions connected to the lower ends of the right side and left-side straps and extending around from the lower end of the right side strap to the lower end of the left-side strap, the lower end of the occipital strap being connected to the backstrap means generally centrally of the latter.
 2. The headgear of claim 1 including means for fastening the straps and adjustment piece together in adjusted position.
 3. The headgear of claim 2 wherein the fastening means is a staple.
 4. The headgear of claim 1 wherein the backstrap means comprises a first backstrap extending back from the right side strap and a second backstrap extending back from the left-side strap, and the occipital strap has slits in its lower end defining a loop through which the free ends of the first and second backstraps pass sO that the length of each backstrap around to the lower end of the occipital strap can be adjusted by sliding the backstrap through said slits in the lower end of the occipital strap.
 5. The headgear of claim 4 including means for fastening the backstraps and occipital strap together in the desired position.
 6. The headgear of claim 5 wherein the fastening means is a staple.
 7. The headgear of claim 1 wherein the right side and left-side straps are each attached to the backstrap means by a yoke of an orthodontic appliance.
 8. The headgear of claim 1 including means for attaching an orthodontic appliance to the lower ends of the right side and left-side straps.
 9. The headgear of claim 1 including means for attaching an orthodontic appliance to the ends of the backstrap means adjacent the lower ends of the right side and left-side straps.
 10. The headgear of claim 1 wherein the straps and adjustment piece are made of a flexible plastic material. 